Ghost Reproductive Theory
by SilentWhisp
Summary: This is simply a bit of a theory of mine and a bit of thought process on same gender ghost reproduction. nothing more, nothing less. Those of you who are squeamish with mpreg, don't read. Non-canon. Warning inside. Please respect.


**Ghost Reproductive Theory.**

_A/N_

_Well, here you all go, just one of my little dribble-drabble on theory and such, the subject being on, yep, male/male reproductive theory. MY theory, so this is NOT canon, nor is it stated fact for the DP-verse, just a bit of thought, scratch that, a LOT of thoughts that would NOT leave me alone and demanded to be writer. Ergo this._

**SEE AUTHOR'S COMMENT FOR WARNINGS!**

This theory follows in a range of steps and stages, all the way from conception to birth. But we first start with sexuality and the human-to-ghost take on it. Enjoy/i

**Sexuality**

_Stereotyping-nonexistent._

In a world of ectoplasm specters, it shouldn't be a surprise that stereotyping in sexuality should be, more or less, nonexistent. Sexuality stereotypes, such as homosexual, Asexual, Bisexual, etc for instance, do not exist in a ghost's world.

While they do have a community and basic society, stereotypes and categorizing others is, for lack of better terms, dead to them. Being what and who they are, the sexuality of a ghost is rather void. Humans often forget that, while physically they seem like it, ghosts have no true genders.

Their abilities to shape-shift, reconstruct, deconstruct, and break down their own bodily materials not only makes them quite durable, but also undecipherable under a microscope.

They are only classified as 'male' or 'female' based on physical appearance and personality. But in general, no gender marks them in their inner exterior. But it is fact that seemingly male ghosts do in fact have male organs, and vice versa for seemingly females, due to the lack of functional reproductive organs, a 'true' gender isn't apparent.

However, this can also be proven false in some aspects. Ghosts do, like humans, have desires of lust, love, and the simple need for companionship if desired. Brief couplings are quite common in ghost society, but very few last more than one night, let alone mean more than that. Brief couplings, or one night stands, cannot result in a child.

Sexual stereotyping, in short, does not exist in the Ghost Zone. Nor do ghosts even care whose interested in whom and who tops and who bottoms. They receive pleasure, may or may not start a relationship, and be on their way. But as they are naturally very solitary creatures, longer term relationships are rare, but not unheard of.

**Conception**

_Process and coupling._

Should a ghost couple choose to bear a child, it takes a very well balanced process.

Male/male couplings, as said before, are NOT uncommon. Female/female couplings are the same. (See **Other Information** For more female/female details)

But as per the childbearing process, gender has almost no part in it. Organs, such as a uterus, aren't even needed. Ghosts house no real internal organs, as they do not need to eat, sleep, or secrete wastes. All of their bodily functions depend on adaptation and their natural ability to construct new parts to replace injured areas.

Conception itself is actually quite simple and much, if not the same, as a human's. Sex is required, as it not only stimulates the body into pleasure, but it also activates the needed hormones and ecto-energy needed to create a child. But as said before, a one night stand coupling cannot result in a child. This being said, it takes a _lot_ of intercourse to come close to conception. And as stated to be like human couplings, there must be a receiver and a giver, also known as the 'mother' and the 'father' of the coupling.

This is where the provided male or female organs come into play. In male/male couplings, one naturally receives like a normal human female. The receiver is the one who will become the vessel of carrying the child, while the giver provides the DNA instructions to make a child, much like human sperm.

But, unlike human conception, it's apparent that pretty much any ghost can conceive. It just depends on whose top and whose bottom in the relationship, as well as mutual agreements.

The DNA of a ghost's 'sperm' isn't really sperm at all, but more or less the actually DNA of the father half of the child. And although the mother carries no eggs, the body itself along with natural bodily construction is all that is needed to house a child.

Ectoplasm is next to come into play. While during intercourse, both ghosts are to be in extreme physical contact, both connected and physically touching for the process to move forward. When trying to conceive, both ghosts use a minor phasing ability to simply establish a loop-connection. Once 'connected' by the skin, so to speak, the father must release his DNA into his mate numerous times to encourage conception.

Multiple orgasms are the only guarantee of a child, as a simple single round of sex will not make way to a child. Both parents supply their own DNA to be mixed inside of the mother, so a fair amount must be provided by the father to form a full child.

During a full connection, and after the proper process is fulfilled, the DNA of the father becomes absorbed into the mother instinctually by hormonal signals. From inside the boy, the DNA is collected, filtered for the proper information, and stored in an ectoplasmic sack inside the mother's stomach area; as said before, no egg is required, as the body itself takes care of everything in a natural process. By now, the small sack is no larger than a pea. This artificial 'womb' constantly supplies the growing fetus with the needed DNA and ectoplasm needed for its development.

**Pregnancy**

_Fetal development._

Much like human pregnancy, a ghost can experience the first signs of pregnancy within the first two to three months. By this time, the womb holding the DNA of the parents has grown to the size of a golfball and now houses an ectoplasmic life form. But unlike human pregnancies, the child does not take on a solid form until much later into the pregnancy. It remains as a glowing mass of energy and pure ectoplasm that is to be the child's physical building blocks.

Symptoms of pregnancy are very much the same as humans, but some with different reasons.

Vomiting for example, is not like a human's. As ghosts do not eat, but they often take in impure ectoplasm from day to day activities, such as flying or performing ecto-based attacks or activities. These activities have a two-way outlet to work.

As an example, while an ecto-ray expels energy, it also burns certain ecto cells in the body that protect it from backfire. These burnt parts become the impurities that a pregnant ghost cannot hold in lest they endanger their child.

While these burnt cells are expelled through more activity, this is not a good option for the mother, as a constant supply of the impurities must be expelled before the second trimester. The mother's body must be completely cleared of all impurities and is often forced to stop his routines. It usually takes until the second to third trimester for the 'morning sickness' to wear off.

Mood swings are a very common factor even in ghost pregnancies, so random flashes of anger, sadness, happiness, depression, and anxiety are not uncommon. But like human pregnancy, it is a good idea to keep the mother as relaxed as possible and the least stressed until the time for birth comes.

As for cravings, these outlet themselves through a different route; sex.

Due to the constant supply of DNA from the mother, the father must also keep supplying his DNA to build a full child. If the father does not provide for the child within a month, the fetus will stop growing altogether, start to shut down, and abort itself. (See **Miscarriage** for more info.)

The right balance of sexual interaction is a necessity for the development of the child, as it helps determine which genes it will inherit and whose traits it will receive. However, like many pregnancies, moods often change, and can have certain results.

A pregnant ghost can suddenly develop an insatiable libido and jump his mate five times a week. This results in their child looking more like the father, as per the increased amount of DNA supplied by the father.

Some ghosts will have a very well balanced libido, and the child will have a very well balanced inheritance from both parents.

Whereas a pregnant ghost that experiences a full-sex shut down, the child is more likely to look like and inherit more traits from the mother.

Constant sex is required as such. As it also supplies the mother with the energy needed to pull through the pregnancy. The mother, before becoming pregnant, naturally absorbs ecto-energy from the zone around him. But while pregnant, all of those resources are reserved and sent to be fed to the child.

But, when coupling and establishing the physical loop, the father is providing enough energy to help his mate along and keep the child healthy.

The pregnancy itself can last as long as a normal human's, but can also be shorted depending on the sexual activity of both parents. A high sexual rate can result in an early birth of a healthy child, while a low sex drive can lead to a normal or longer pregnancy. So there is no real set time for every individual ghost; it all depends on the parents and resulting sexual content.

**Ending of Pregnancy**

_Final weeks/months, effects, birth lead up_

Around after the fifth month, the mother will start to become larger in the middle from the growing child. Although ghosts tend to stay a lot smaller than humans during the concluding terms of pregnancy, mainly because of their lack of organs and set bone structure to make room for the growing child.

By this time around, the mother's stomach may or may not (depending on how strong the child may be) become slightly transparent, showing quite visibly a glowing mass within the abdominal cavity. This mass is the child, but without a set form just yet. In this time, it may just look like a glowing blob that may move around every so often.

The stronger and more vibrant the glow of the child, the stronger it will be. However, a faint glow or no glow at all doesn't always determine a weak ghost. But almost always the child radiates some glow. But the weaker the glow, the weaker the child icurrently/i is. This may be due to a lack of sexual drive to help it's development, a simple sign of poor health (causes and reasons may vary), or, worst case scenario, the beginnings of a late miscarriage.

When closing in on the time of the birth, the mother may begin to experience a number of side effects. See examples below for detail.

_Nesting -_

Probably one of the most common side effect in the expecting mother when coming to term. The mother may become obsessed with the child's preparations, such as constantly checking up on or tidying the child's room, moving random objects about, anxiety, and sometimes mild agitation.

_Isolation -_

Another common factor, but much less so than nesting, is the need for isolation. The mother may become agitated in his mate's presence and desire to be alone, often times locking himself in his room and sleeping. This usually occurs when the child has reached it's peak in development and requires no more need for the father's DNA or energy. This is also when the mother may become more aggressive and anxious.

_Aggressive Moods -_

This is also another prospect when the child has required enough energy and DNA, but often than not results in very aggressive behavior and moods from the mother. While mood swings are a prime factor in pregnancy, this is where the anger factor dominates all other moods. The mother may or may not randomly attack his mate for no apparent reason. This can last for a good week before the birth, but always seems to dissipate before the actual birth.

_Sexual disorientation -_

Depending on how the mother's sex drive was during the first months of pregnancy, during this time, it becomes the opposite of what it was. This being the child's last chance to get what it needs for a healthy afterlife, the mother may become insatiable for an unknown time if he was depraved during the first months. While ghosts with a much stronger libido will calm down and may or may not desire any sex at all.

Approximately a week or so from delivery, the mother may suddenly become exhausted and sleep for most of the remaining time. This is a defense mechanism of the body to preserve as much energy as possible to prepare for the labor of delivery. It is not uncommon for some mothers to sleep for more than one day during this process.

This is also when the child starts to take on a set form. The mass it once represented inside its mother's belly will begin to take on a form and solidify into a body. It is also at its most active during this time; as it will be practicing movement by kicking, punching, swimming, and other such movements that may cause the mother discomfort. There is also a zero chance of the child becoming tangled or asphyxiated, as ghost mothers have no umbilical cords. They 'feed' their child through their body entirely much like a plant absorbing what it needs from the soil.

**Labor and Birth Process**

_Process of labor and birthing_

Labor, like a human's, is always painful. But, unlike a human female, the child is NOT delivered vaginally, as 'male' ghosts possess no such organ for delivery. Not even 'female' ghosts use this method for birth.

The process of labor begins as such.

The mother will instinctively know the child is ready to come out of the body once the ecto sack posing as the womb ruptures and drains excess ectoplasm back into the body. The 'womb' now empty and collapsed on the child, it will begin to struggle and instinctively shove itself around to get out.

Note, the child must NOT be delivered BEFORE the ecto-sack breaks. Removal of the child while it is still submerged will cause it to go into shock and release mass amounts of pure ectoplasm into the mother, causing death on both moth and child.

With the sack broken, the mother instantly goes into labor. Although probably as painful as human labor, it only consists of a few similar symptoms. All mostly pain from the child's struggling; there is no other real comparison to both. The mother usually collapses, whether while floating or walking, and becomes fairly weakened from the waist down.

The father may or may not interfere or help through the birth. It isn't too common, but some ghosts may hire 'midwives' to help in the delivery, or, if the mother is willing, the father will help in the delivery. But if not, the father may often encourage or simply comfort his mate during the process, but it is all up to the mother.

The birth itself has absolutely NO concept into a human delivery. Rather, in fact, the child must be brought out of the mother's body via phasing.

However, even when empty, the womb the child is in is specifically designed to prevent phasing. As the child, during the first few months, fluctuates different powers, such as phasing. To prevent it from simply dropping out of the mother at random, the sack is specifically adapted to prevent phasing penetration. But once it is drained of the ecto fluids that keep it strong, its prevention is cut in half, making it slightly easier for the mother to pull the child out.

It is still a painful process however. Even when it's strength is halved, the sack is still strong enough to hold the child inside the mother efficiently.

Once ready, the mother reaches inside himself and penetrates the sack. The sack itself acts as a one-way, so it is only difficult to remove something from it than to penetrate it. Taking hold of the child, the mother must work to make the child itself phase through the sack and out of his body.

This process can carry on for short minutes to hours depending on the mother's strength and the child's willingness to leave the womb. It is slow and quite painful; as comparing it to cutting a baseball sized hole into your belly and then trying to pull out a football from said hole.

The phasing out of the body is never immediate. 'Crowing' is very common, as the child must be brought out head first to reduce shock and slowly make it aware of upcoming surroundings. The top of the head will start surfacing from the belly and slowly begin working its way out.

And as per human birth, once the head and shoulders are out, it's smooth sailing from that point. Once out and if healthy, the child will start crying. The delivery now complete, the mother will become maternally instinctual and cling to his child for a good amount of time to bond with it. Or in some rare cases, the mother may reject the child outright and abandon it, with or without the father.

But more often than not, the mother clings to the child to bond with it and establish a connection. Exhaustion is a prime factor in the aftershock of delivery, so rest is required for a few days for the mother's body to dispel any leftover hormones and ectoplasm from the pregnancy.

**After Delivery and Bonding**

_Process of events after birth._

As said before, the mother will cling to the child for the first few days after delivery. This is not only a result of maternal instinct, but also a process of 'feeding' the child.

Unlike humans, who nurse their young, ghosts give off an aura that their child absorbs until it is old enough to absorb ecto-energy from the atmosphere on its own.

However, depending on how strong the child was during pregnancy, the mother may or may not produce a type of ecto-milk if the child was born with a low energy status or unhealthy. This form of ectoplasm serves as a concentrated pure ectoplasm that will supply the infant with the energy it needs to become healthy. A ghost mother, depending on how deprived the child was, may continue 'nursing' up to a few days to a few weeks.

A healthy ghost infant will stay close to its mother for the first three months before it may stray further from him. Around this time, the infant is growing stronger and slightly more active, but will overall act like a newborn human and sleep most of the time.

**Child Development**

_Process of the child's growth and power development._

Ghost children usually start developing their powers either during or after their first year. Minor bouts of levitation, ecto fluctuations, and sometimes accidents (phasing through the floor, being stuck invisible for a short time, etc) are not uncommon, often leading to a parent's panic. This is natural and quite normal for both parties.

Backtracking to the child's first few weeks, his or her inherited traits will begin to show. Although they may look more like one of the parents after the birth, the more detailed traits will begin to show during this time. Things such as personality, more detailed physical traits, and sometimes markings will start to become cleared as time goes by.

**Other information**

_Extra information regarding pregnancy and couples._

**Miscarriage**

_The causes and effects of child miscarriage._

Very little is known about sudden bouts of miscarriages in ghosts. More often than not, miscarriage can result before or during the first five months of conception. But sometimes miscarriage can occur if the mother doesn't know he is pregnant before it is too late.

Most causes are widely unknown, while some means can be found as reason.

One of the more common results of miscarriage is due to a poor conception or lack of sexual interaction. Poor conception refers to the time of conception, where the DNA is either not absorbed properly, there isn't enough of it, or there comes a defect during the formation of the 'womb'.

Other times, it's due to an unhealthy body, whether from the mother, father, or the child itself. And with a lack of sexual content, as explained before, the fetus will start to shut down and eventually abort itself.

The process of finalizing miscarriage is painful, but not as much so as labor. Unfortunately, the DNA supplied by the father cannot be absorbed into the mother's body, as it is technically a foreign substance. This being so, the ecto-sack the miscarried child is in will start to detach itself from the mother and force the body into phasing it out of the body by falling out of the mother.

It isn't a surprise that some mothers who experience a miscarriage will become traumatized or depressed after the loss of a child. This may also apply to the father, but the mother gets the brunt of the blow.

**Female/Female Conception**

_Process of Female/female couplings and pregnancies._

In terms of a female/female relationship desiring a child, the entire process is, all in all, the very same as a male/male process. All except for one difference.

Female built ghosts do not have male organs that work to insert DNA into the mother. So instead, female based ghosts have a different method from body adaptations from their build.

Unlike in male ghosts, female ghosts have a complete loop build into them when in intercourse. Males can only supply half of a loop to connect to the other and can only complete the loop when the dominant of the two penetrates his partner, while females contain a complete loop that can fully cycle through mere physical sexual contact without penetration.

This full loop contains and supplies all the couple needs to create a child, no penetration required. A female's energy is surprisingly more potent than a male's, making the loop connection just as efficient as a male's.

Nothing but intimate intercourse with close physical contact is all that is needed, as well as a loop connection, and multiple orgasms is all that applies to female/female reproduction, then the steps mentioned in a male/male pregnancy are set to happen the same way for a female mother.

**Abortion**

_The aborting of a pregnancy_

Abortions are _extremely_ rare in ghost society. As mentioned before, it takes multiple couplings to produce a child, so any form of 'accidents' are almost nonexistent in ghost society. Even with their solitary nature, a ghost's paternal instincts can overpower any form of solitary desire. And with ghost populations dwindling, it's and unstated fact that aborting a piece of the Ghost Zone's future is, to be blunt, stupid.

But, a mother still retains his/her rights whether or not they wish to take on a child or not. But adoptions and other means of passing on a child are also practiced in their culture.

Ghosts don't normally adopt another's young, but there are some benevolent enough to want to take on another's child if unwanted or the parent isn't ready. But these cases are quite rare.

**Conclusion and Claim Rights.**

In short, pregnancies brought out in same-sex couples is, quite frankly, a natural thing in the Ghost Zone society. Stereotyping or simpleminded anger towards these natural rights are not taken kindly in their world. So humans have yet another reason to leave the ghosts alone and in peace.

**CLAIM RIGHTS.**

**I, Silentwhisp, have full claim on these original theories, as I am the one who has written and published these thoughts out of pure personal claim and means of thought process. Please show courtesy and an open mind on these claims. All flames or judicial claims or preaching will be flagged or ignored.**

**Thank you.**

**~SW**


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